


A Piercing Gaze

by InvalidTag



Series: Crimson Eyes and Silver Tongues [1]
Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Arackniss is bad at feelings, Hypnosis, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:06:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26684143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InvalidTag/pseuds/InvalidTag
Summary: Arackniss has been meaning to make Pentious hypnotize him for about as long as he's known Pentious can do so. Not for any weird reason, of course, he's just curious. He wants to know what it feels like. Nothing weird about it at all.And what kind of boyfriend would Pentious be if he didn't (eventually) indulge him?
Relationships: Arackniss/Sir Pentious (Hazbin Hotel)
Series: Crimson Eyes and Silver Tongues [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941754
Comments: 7
Kudos: 96





	A Piercing Gaze

“Pent, you’re really killin’ my boner.”

“Well _pardon me_ for not wanting to permanently alter your mental processes, Niss!” Pentious scoffed, his voice muffled by the welding mask he wore, “I’m sorry dear, but my hypnosis is too dangerous to _possibly_ try… Er, ‘in private’. I refuse to even entertain the _thought_.”

“Pent, lemme clarify some things for you, cuz you get lost in your head sometimes,” Arackniss started, motioning with his hands, “You can hypnotize people wit’ your fuckin’ snake powers, yeah?”

Pentious stopped his welding and flipped his mask up. “You are correct to make such an assumption.”

“An’ I says it’s okay to hypnotize me, yeah?” 

“Correct, but—”

“So if you can do it, and I say you can do it t’me, what’s the fuckin’ problem?” 

Pentious sighed and pinched the bridge of his flat nose, more out of habit than necessity. “Niss, I know you loathe being coddled like this, but it’s for your own good. It’s quite brave of you to offer yourself up to me like this, but again I must decline. My answer is final.”

“Ya gonna give me a fuckin’ reason or are ya gonna keep actin’ like a _prick_ about this?” Arackniss spat, crossing his arms. 

“ _A reason?!_ I’ve given you a reason! It’s dangerous!”

“Fucking and? I’m an assassin, I do dangerous shit nearly every damn day, Pent. Hell, we’ve done shit that you call ‘dangerous’ in the sack before and guess what? I was _fuckin’_ fine,” Arackniss jabbed a sharp finger towards Pentious, “so don’t gimme that ‘it’s dangerous’ bullshit, I’ve heard it before. _From you_ , no less.”

Pentious huffed, rolled his eyes, pulled the mask from his head and retreated from his workbench. Arackniss, who was leaning against the wall adjacent to him, watched as the taller demon approached him, clad in nothing but his dirty undershirt, his sleeves rolled up and his collar undone. Pentious lowered himself to Arackniss’ level and clutched his chin, tilting his head up to look at him. Arackniss tried to hide his blush but failed. For all his incessant speeches and evil-villian-from-the-Sixties garbage, Arackniss found that Pentious was the most intimidating when he was quiet. 

Pentious, of course, had learned to be quiet and calm more often around Arackniss.

Arackniss slapped his hand away. “Don’t fuckin’ touch me, you asshole.”

Pentious laughed, a far cry from his usual cackle. This was deeper, more relaxed, and easily _forty_ times as sinister. “Your mouth says no, but I always trusted your body more, Niss. Besides, I thought you liked being touched?”

Arackniss was ready to blow off Pentious’ claim, but the longer he looked into Pentious’ eyes, the harder he found it to look away. Even if he withdrew his gaze from his main pair, it’d fall upon another eye, somewhere on his gorgeous, _luxurious_ body. His tail, his chest, even his hat across the room all seemed to lead right back to Pentious’ intoxicating eyes, their pure crimson allure shining into Arackniss’ very _soul_. 

“Yes, yes, I do remember now,” Pentious’ voice was clear and crisp in Arackniss’ ears, blotting out the background noise of the world, even of his own breathing, “you _love_ being touched by me, don’t you, Niss?”

Upon second thought, he did. He _loved_ it when Pentious touched him. He couldn’t recall a single moment when Pentious’ touch didn’t feel _amazing_ . It made his day, permeated his nights, and remained on his skin until he was given a new touch to fawn and obsess over. That’s what it was, really: _obsession_ , and he loved it. He loved it when Pentious touched him, it made his heart thump against his ribs, made his spine tingle with pure ecstacy, made his face light up with a deep blush, every time without fail. It didn’t matter where, even in public Arackniss would always love being touched by Pentious because he _loved being touched by him._

Arackniss moaned softly, and leaned into Pentious’ hand, letting the serpent’s palm caress his fuzzy cheek. “Y-yeah, Pent. I fuckin’ _love_ it, almost as much as I love _you_ , Pent.”

Pentious smirked, and averted his hypnotic gaze, turning back to his workbench to collect his hat. Arackniss’ eyes followed him, but without those crimson eyes right in front of him he felt… Sadder, _colder_. Pentious’ touch was truly blissful, and he refused to let that feeling go. Drunk on pure adoration, he stumbled over to the serpent and wrapped his four arms around his waist, rubbing his cheek against the curve of Pentious’ back. 

Pentious whirled around, a quizzical look on his face. “Niss? Is something wrong?”

Arackniss moaned again and looked up at his boyfriend—his saviour. “You stopped touchin’ me, that’s what’s wrong, dipshit. I like it when you touch me, ya know. Ya don’t do it often.”

“Under what circumstances do you _ever_ …” Pentious paused, and dragged his hands down his face in embarrassment, “Oh no, dear, I thought the effect would wear off once our direct line of sight was broken, my bad.”

With a snap of his fingers, Arackniss was sent tumbling down from the emotional high he was on. It felt like being hit in the temple with the sharp end of a hammer, but Arackniss shook it off to the best of his ability. He staggered back from Pentious and shook his head clear of the hypnosis. “Wha… What the Hell _was_ that?”

“My hypnosis, dear. Do you see the caliber of mental alteration we’re dealing with, now?”

“Didn’t even feel wrong… It was just _right_.” Arackniss blushed and averted his eyes. His heart still pounded in his chest. What did Pentious just do to him?

And why the fuck did he like it so much?

“Exactly,” Pentious continued, setting his hat atop his head with practiced ease, “I’ve yet to meet a demon who can resist my hypnosis, and while I don’t doubt your exceptionalism in many fields, Niss, such resistance is far from being in your wheelhouse. Please tell me you’ve reconsidered.”

Arackniss grunted and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms again. “Pent, c’mon now. I’m just curious, is all. If anythin’ I’m _more_ curious now, in a morbid way.”

“Is it really _that_ important for me to place you under my hypnosis?” Pentious asked, all the venom drained from his voice, “I’m no… Well, how do I put this, ‘virtuoso’ in that regard, but I’m not _that_ bad, am I? I’m only asking because I know you’ll be honest.”

“What? Pent, that’s not what I’m sayin’.”

“Thank goodness! It’s not like we even partake in the taming of the beast with two backs that often anyways. I’m not pestering you with it at every opportunity.”

“You aren’t, Pent, and I’m glad for that. You’re a class act, truly. But…” Arackniss trailed off, his fists clenching at his sides and his eyes wrenching themselves shut. This was unlike him, so very much unlike him. He was the straight-shooting, silent assassin of The Family, he could clip an angel’s wings from the fifth circle like it was nothing, he’d been the perfect killer for decades. There was more blood on his hands than skin at this point, making this choice shouldn’t have been this difficult. But Pentious had made most of his decisions a lot harder since they had first met. He felt safer at the Family mansion, but he felt better staying with Pent. He normally spent his free time away from assignments by himself, but now it felt strange to not spend every waking moment he could with the adorably idiotic snake. He couldn’t have been in love, and he hated even thinking about the idea because love was the number one best way to get hurt in the end. 

These last few months were so eye-opening to him. He once thought there was no way he would ever stoop to his brother’s level; now, everytime he was alone at night, he chased the feelings that Pentious could wring out of his blackened heart. Once upon a time he didn’t even let his Family lay hands on him; now, he was melting into Pentious’ expertly placed caresses and touches that he tormented him with. 

He had never let anyone else kiss him after Mama died. 

And he was the one who kissed Pentious. 

For more than fifty years, he had held strong, and became the no-nonsense murderer his father always wanted him to be. But now, he craved the ways in which Pentious made him weak, made him feel like a dumb teenager, sneaking away at night to fuck around, shoot the shit, blow things up, and—on special occasions—even do some romantic shit. He felt alive with Pentious, more so than when he actually was. 

For him, Arackniss was willing to wash away the blood. For him, he had to try. 

“... With you, Pent, it’s… It’s special.”

Pentious visibly paused, turning towards Arackniss.

“With you, I…” Arackniss swallowed his pride, his face felt like it had been lit on fire, “I feel, _good_. I, uh, feel really good with you, Pent. Like… Uh…”

Pentious planted a finger of Arackniss’ lips and shushed him. Without saying a word, he wrapped his arms around Arackniss and picked him up bridal style, beginning to move towards the elevator out of his laboratory with a single destination in mind. 

“P-Pent? I-I wasn’t— _mh!_ ”

As the elevator doors slid shut, Pentious raised Arackniss’ head to his and pressed their mouths together in a deep, soft kiss. Pentious’ lips were cold, and scaly, but the pure passion of the kiss made Arackniss feel not warm, but _hot_ . His heart pulsed in his throat, and his hands shook in his lap before they instinctively wrapped around Pentious’ neck, drawing him closer. A forked tongue slithered around his mouth, easily outmaneuvering his own and even going as far as snaking around it. Being on top was almost a necessity for his size, but Pentious always made it clear that biting the pillow felt _incredibly good_ as well. He had proved so multiple times. 

The foreign appendage slipped out of his mouth as Pentious pulled away, making a sound not dissimilar to what one might hear slurping a spaghetti noodle. Arackniss blushed, but refused to let Pentious out of his grasp. This was the man he’d kill for, he felt this in every atom of his body. This was the man he’d take on an army for.

The elevator chimed and the doors opened to Pentious’ study. With Arackniss still in his arms, slithered out of the study, into the front foyer, and up the stairs to the sleeping chambers. Arackniss was silent, his entire world consisting of Pentious’ hands on him and the satisfying noise of scales clacking together. In what felt like mere seconds, they were in Pentious’ chambers, and he had tossed Arackniss gently on the bed and sat next to him. An absolutely _predatory_ look hung on Pentious’ face, highlighted by his characteristically toothy grin. 

“What’re you gonna do t’me, Pent?” Arackniss asked, his voice quiet and shaky. 

“I think, just because you asked for it, I’m going to give you what you want. Though to be _absolutely clear_ , this will be a very different hypnosis than the one I use in battle, and even then I don’t oft hypnotize my foes,” Pentious said, dramatically clenching his fist in the air, “I’d much rather see them _crushed_ by my might whilst they are _lucid! The sheer—”_

“Get on with it, Pent.”

“Oh, eheh, right,” Pentious cleared his throat, resuming his previous train of thought in a more hushed tone, “while I don’t see your reason for wanting to be hypnotized, I won't pry. However, I would like to set up some rules befitting this little experiment of ours, alright?”

“Mkay. Shoot.” Arackniss grumbled.

“Excellent! So, first of all, I think it’s best to establish a set time after which I release you. As of right now, I’m perfectly fine with one hour.”

Wh—huh?! An hour? Pent, that’s—”

“Niss, I’ve said this a million times now, I—”

“Pent, _Pent_ , come on, man, that’s fuckin’ nothing! Gimme two hours at least!”

“W-what?! Did I just hear _two hours?!_ ” Pentious said, his hood flaring out and his cartoonish voice turning exasperated in an unfairly adorable way.

“Fuckin’... Yeah, you did. One hour ain’t nothing t’me.”

“Arackniss, _darling_ , please. I don’t want to argue with you on this.”

“That’s good, since this ain’t an argument. All I’m sayin’ is that an hour ain’t enough.” Arackniss crossed his arms and pulled his legs closer.

“What about one and a half hours?” Pentious tried, a caring desperation in his eyes.

“What about two hours?”

“An hour and… And forty minutes, final offer or I’m nixing the entire proposal!”

“Okay, okay, alright, don’t get your panties in a bunch. An hour thirty is great, Pent.”

Pentious’ face softened, and he scratched an eye. “Niss, if you’re really up for it I’ll do the one hour and forty minutes. This is all for your utmost safety and comfort, after all.”

“Then can we?” Arackniss said curtly.

“God above, I’m going soft. Of course we can,” Pentious smiled, “but I’m afraid that will be the easiest rule to create. Now to, as you say, ‘rip off the bandaid’, we should decide what is off-limits during the hypnosis.”

“Wuh… What do ya mean by ‘off-limits’?” Arackniss stuttered, his body tensing up involuntarily. His mind wandered to the deplorable actions he and Pentious had done in the past, the sinful, degenerate behaviour he hadn’t resisted well enough. He’d feel worse about it if he didn’t also remember the white-hot pleasure that had seared itself into his nerves. 

If there was a second, “Super-Hell”, he’d gladly repent for everything there. But not here. 

Pentious noticed, and rested a hand on Arackniss’ knee, causing the spider to jump in surprise. “I mean anything you would absolutely _not_ feel comfortable with in any other context—in any context, I should say.”

“So…” Arackniss trailed off, desperately trying to smother the burning warmth in his core. He always got like this, whenever Pentious was a little _too_ nice, a little _too_ accommodating. It wasn’t something he was used to, not in life and not in the afterlife, but when he was pampered and praised he had a tendancy of fucking melting, especially when Pentious was the one praising and pampering him. Pentious _did_ say he didn’t want to coddle him, but Arackniss couldn’t have kept his fat mouth shut. Pentious had him blushing like a schoolgirl in uniform on a drafty day and there was nothing he could do to get out of it. 

“Yes?” Pentious asked.

“So, uh… So like, nothing I don’t like, yeah?” Arackniss took in a deep breath. He was being blatant, but he _wanted_ Pentious to catch him. To know how he was feeling. The only way he could possibly talk about his feelings was if he was forced to.

“Yes… Are you quite alright, dear?” Pentious asked, making Arackniss blush slightly harder, “Because you know I _abhor_ the idea of making you uncomfortable.”

Arackniss swallowed his pride, his face burning. “So w-what if there ain’t anything I don’t want ya t’do t’me?”

He had said it. And after the words rang hollow in his mouth, the room went silent, save for the antique ticking of an ancient-looking grandfather clock on the other side of the room, next to the window. His heart thrummed and pulsed in his ears, his breathing picking up in delirious anxiety. Pentious’ face blurred and shifted from one emotion to another, clearly unable to process the choice he had just been given. Would he even understand the seismic implications of what Arackniss had just asked of him? Arackniss could never say what he was thinking, not without sounding like his brother, a result that made his head spin with nausea. But he had done his best, bet all of his chips and laid his hand on the table. All he was waiting for was for Pentious to finally call his bluff. 

This was the only thing Arackniss could possibly give Pentious in return. This was all he could do to try and make it up to him. 

Without a word, Pentious pounced, slithering between Arackniss’ legs and caging him with his arms. Pinned to the bed, Arackniss eagerly looked into Pentious’ eyes, trapped by their crimson allure.

Pentious’ breathing had deepened, his face mere inches from Arackniss’. Warm puffs of air tickled Arackniss’ fur, making his lips crave Pentious’ own even more. Yet he was petrified, not with fear, but more with the unshakable urge to _obey_. 

“Last chance, Nissy dearessst,” Pentious whispered, “remind yourself who’s in control here.”

He could break out of it, if he wanted to. He wasn’t so far gone as to not be able to push Pentious off of him and refuse his offer. His hands did push against Pentious’ chest, not with vitriol and determination, but with a childish need to be _closer_ to the snake, to feel the pressure of his body against his own. He knew this token form of resistance only existed because Pentious was letting him have it, and the thought both scared him and excited him to the point of squirming in the snake’s seemingly iron grasp. Being trapped had never felt so good before. Neither did letting go. 

Arackniss cleared his throat softly, his eyes going wide as Pentious did the same, revealing even more of those gorgeous sanguine sclerae. An evil smile appeared on Pentious’ face, one that Arackniss had only ever seen when operating one of his machines, and the thought struck him that maybe he was one of Pentious’ playthings, something for him to use at his own leisure. There was a flash of anger, then nothing but pure, burning pleasure. 

“I-I am, I’m in— _ah_ , c-control, here.” Arackniss stuttered. 

“Are you _sure?_ ” Pentious chuckled, “you look like you’re having a little trouble saying that. Perhaps your thoughts are incongruent with your verbiage.”

Arackniss chuckled as Pentious drew him even closer, their foreheads nearly touching, before devolving into a choked moan. “I… I just… Can’t…”

“‘You can’t’ what, Nissy? Tell me again, and do be prompt this time,” Pentious blinked, his eyes coming back into view with an even fiercer shade of red, “am I in control, my feisty little _prey?”_

Arackniss moaned again, shamelessly, happily, and said yes.

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't the first Hazbin fanfic I've written, but it's the first I've posted. Hope it's not too bad.
> 
> I can't get enough of these two idiots. So why not write a smut series of them?
> 
> Stay tuned for more, dear readers. Feel free to comment, kudos, and I hope you enjoyed reading.


End file.
